


graduation

by ndnickerson



Series: someone else's arms [2]
Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: F/M, Family, Graduation, Married Couple, Married Life, Married Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 13:11:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4181037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nancy finally graduates from college, with her family cheering her on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	graduation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [polkadottedmars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/polkadottedmars/gifts).



> Written for polkadottedmars's birthday! :)

"Daddy! _Daddy!_ "

Ned shrugged his messenger laptop bag down from his shoulder to his elbow as he closed the apartment door behind him, a bouquet of mixed flowers in his other hand. His mother was sitting at the kitchen table, just pushing herself up, and Adam was charging toward him, his arms up and a wide grin on his face. His blue eyes were alight and shining with happiness and love.

Ned couldn't help grinning too. "Hey buddy," he said, putting his laptop bag down beside the couch and sweeping up his son. Adam was very nearly three and a half, and he wrapped his arms around Ned's neck and nestled against him for a hug. "Been good for your Nana?"

"Uh-huh," he replied. Adam had started preschool a year earlier, and he was so incredibly smart. His half-days at preschool meant Ned or Nancy could drop him off, and then Edith or Hannah could pick him up for lunch and watch him until Nancy or Ned came home. Today Nancy was on campus for exams, and Ned wasn't sure when she would be home.

Edith took the bouquet out of Ned's hand and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hi sweetheart. Good day?"

Ned chuckled. "Not as good as Adam's," he commented, carrying his son to the small kitchen. He saw sheets of newsprint paper laid out, with Adam's first name and last initial spelled in wobbly crayon on a few. "You do this, tiger?"

Adam nodded, then squirmed to be let down. He picked up the sheet closest to him and waved it around. "Me and Nana did it!" he crowed, grinning, and Ned ruffled his dark hair. He was dressed in a blue and white shirt and miniature khaki pants, his feet bare.

"Just the first few," Ned's mother said with a smile. "After that he pretty much had the hang of it. He really is a very smart little boy."

"Oh, and I called on the way home," Ned told her. "I managed to get the r-e-s-e-r-v-a-t-i-o-n-s for S-p-i-a-g-g-i."

Adam was looking back and forth between the two of them, clearly interested.

"That's good," Edith said, keeping her voice even, and winked at him. "I'm sure she'll be excited."

Once they had bid Adam's grandmother goodnight and she had departed for Mapleton, Ned quickly changed his clothes and came back to find Adam feverishly coloring. "Hey, bud, mind picking up your superheroes?" he asked as he washed his hands.

"'Kay," Adam called back, and slithered out of the kitchen chair, gripping the table top to keep himself from falling. Thanks to Bess and George and Nancy, Adam's collection of superheroes included an equal number of male and female dolls, and most of them had been left on the couch and the coffee table. He picked up his favorite one, who sported a glossy dark ponytail and a pair of green eyeglasses. "Fwsssssh," Adam said as he pantomimed her flying. "Pow!"

"Hot dogs for dinner, bear?"

"Lunch," Adam called back, as Ned surveyed the contents of the refrigerator. "Fwshhhh!"

"Grilled cheese?"

" _Yeah!_ " Adam cried.

Ned chuckled. "All right, buddy. Grilled cheese it is."

Nancy sent Ned a text to let him know when she was on the way home. By then, Adam had finished tidying up his toys and completed yet another careful crayon signature so he could proudly show it to his mother. Ned put together a plate for Adam, with two half-slices of tomato and a little dollop of ranch dressing, a sandwich cut into six pieces, and a cup of applesauce.

Ned was just flipping a grilled cheese with bacon when Nancy keyed into their apartment. "Mom!" Adam cried. "Mama!"

"Hey sweetheart," Nancy said, and Ned turned in time to see her shoulder her own bag down so she could put it on the floor. She saw the flowers, and her tired expression softened. "Oh, Ned. Thanks."

"You're welcome, honey."

She released a quiet "oof" when Adam, having climbed down from his chair, threw his arms around her legs and hugged her. "I missed you too, baby bear. Is that grease on your hands?"

Ned winced. At least she was in jeans and it might wash out. "Grilled cheese?"

"Mmm. I'll try it," she told him. She came over to the table with Adam perched on her hip. "Ooh, that looks good."

"Mama, look!"

Ned lifted the corner of the sandwich, checking the color, as he heard Nancy praise Adam's efforts. When he glanced at the table she had settled into a chair and had her fist propping up her jaw, and she was gazing fondly at their son. She smoothed his dark hair and smiled at him.

"Mama," Adam stage-whispered. "Nana and Daddy said v-t-n-s-g-g-i."

"Oooh," Nancy said. "That sounds very intriguing. Something involving letters, huh?"

Ned shook his head. "You're getting to be more and more like your mom every day," he said to Adam. "You're going to be a very good spy."

Adam giggled, then started humming his "spy song," from a song he had heard watching one of his cartoons. Nancy patted his head again and went to the refrigerator to pull out the pitcher of lemonade.

Ned slid the last sandwich onto the plate and dusted off his hands, then wrapped his arm around his wife's waist and kissed her temple. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah." She put an empty cup beside the pitcher, on the counter, then leaned against him for a moment. "I walked out of the exam so excited to finally have finished... and now I'm just exhausted. Ugh. I'm sure I'll feel better in the morning."

He kissed her cheek. "I'm sure," he murmured reassuringly, then gently stroked his palm over her belly a few times. She was only six weeks pregnant, so they had decided to hold off on telling their parents, and Adam, for a little while longer.

She smiled and kissed his jaw, and he released her. "Remember any other letters, Adam?" she asked, a smile still in her voice. "Maybe S-p-i-a-g-g-i?"

After dinner, the three of them relaxed on the couch. Ned had a few emails to answer, and so Adam stayed on Nancy's lap for a few minutes. Then he went to his room and brought back an ambulance, a fire truck, and a bulldozer.

"Well, that definitely looks like trouble," Nancy chuckled.

Ned didn't mind it. Adam made sounds for each vehicle, including a low "brrrrrr" for the bulldozer, and inevitably a couple of his superheroes made it into the mix. "Here, Daddy," Adam said, walking over to him to hand him a caped superhero. "Hold pease."

"All right," Ned agreed. Adam's steps were more sure now, and he no longer looked like his body hadn't quite caught up with his head. His smile was dimpled and broad.

And he was Ned's son, maybe the firstborn of his sons. They wouldn't know for a while yet what gender their next baby was. When Adam had a nightmare, he crawled into his parents' bed and sought their comfort, and Adam was no less precious to Ned than a biological son would have been, or might be. He saw the woman he loved more than life itself reflected in Adam, and he had decided a long time ago that he loved _all_ of Adam, all of his personality and who he was, just as Nancy had asked him to do the day of his birth. He didn't hate any part of him.

Adam was so curious, though, that Ned wondered how he would react to the news that he would have a brother or sister soon—and the flurry of questions that would doubtless follow. A part of him was dreading that day, and how it might hurt Nancy to think about it. Adam may have been born into a loving family, but he hadn't been conceived in love—or healthy love, anyway.

Ned relaxed a little as he thought about it. Without the love he and Nancy felt for each other, Adam wouldn't be the very lucky, infinitely loved little boy he was now. His conception had been an awful mistake, but Nancy's choice to have him had been deliberate and made with the same love she and Ned felt for Adam now.

He only had to look at his son's miniature hands and bright eyes, the trust and love in his face, to know that no matter the circumstances, Adam _was_ his son. His biological father couldn't have loved Adam more than Ned did, and Adam was safe and loved and perfect.

Nancy had told him early on that what had happened to her was a horrible tragedy, but if she had been a victim, Adam was even more a victim, and he didn't deserve punishment any more than she had. Ned didn't think about it that often, and he and Nancy didn't talk about it that often.

He just wanted this pregnancy to be happy. He didn't want her to feel any of the anxiety or fear that she had early in her pregnancy with Adam.

It still filled him with wonder, that a new life was growing inside her, that the two of them had created something so impossibly perfect.

"Mama..."

Nancy had fallen asleep at the other end of the couch, and Adam's soft plea for her attention brought Ned back. "Hey, bear," Ned called softly. "Mama needs her rest. C'mere."

Adam poked his lower lip out a little, then gently patted Nancy's cheek. "Sleep," he whispered. "Sleep, Mama."

Then Adam clambered up onto the couch and giggled when Ned wrapped him in a hug. "You know Mama's graduating soon, right?"

Adam looked up at him. "Uh-huh."

"I think we should do something nice for her. What do you think? Maybe a nice trip to the moon?"

Adam let out a loud laugh, then shushed himself as he remembered she was sleeping, and that it might be a secret between him and his dad. "Silly Daddy," he said.

"Mars, then?"

Adam muffled his laughter against Ned's shirt, and Ned patted his back and smiled. "Gee-gee?" he mimicked, from earlier.

"Shh. Secret."

Adam's eyes rounded, and he touched his finger to his lip. "Shh," he repeated.

"And if I tell _you_ , then you will tell Mama and it won't be a surprise anymore."

Adam shook his head with such a solemn expression on his face that Ned _almost_ crumbled. "S'prise."

Ned kissed his son's forehead. "Here. I think it's bathtime for you, little-bear."

He told Adam to pick out some pajamas and went to the bathroom to start filling the tub with water. He couldn't remember being so young that a bath was a treat and involved half a tub full of toys, despite his mother's photographic evidence, but Adam danced dinosaurs over the surface of the water, alternating growling noises, quiet roars, and laughter. After he was clean and Ned had given his dark hair a brisk rub with the towel, Adam reluctantly agreed to brush his teeth and prepare for bed.

Nancy shuffled down the hallway and appeared in the bathroom doorway, rubbing a fist against her eye and stifling a yawn. Adam's stuffed lion toy was tucked in the crook of one arm.

"Mama," Adam said through a mouthful of toothpaste lather.

Nancy chuckled. "I guess someone thought I might need a lion to protect me, when my two favorite guys weren't around," she murmured. "But I wanted to tuck Leo in with my baby boy. All squeaky-clean?"

Adam wasn't generally insecure or clingy, but Leo had been his security blanket for over a year now, and Adam's world came to a crashing halt when his lion was missing. He had been so upset when the toy had accidentally been left at his grandparents' house and Ned and Nancy hadn't been able to find it, that Ned had been thirty seconds from ordering an exactly identical toy off eBay. Even now he didn't think it would be a bad idea, but he knew that Adam would _know_. A cleaner, newer Leo wouldn't be _his_ Leo.

And yet, Adam had taken his lion and tucked it into his sleeping mother's arms, trusting it to keep her safe.

They tucked their little boy into his toddler bed, and Nancy returned Leo to him and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "You're such a sweet boy," she whispered. "I love you, baby."

"Love you," Adam said, his dimpled smile back on his face. "Love you, Daddy."

"Love you too," Ned said. "Now get some rest."

"And maybe Nana and I can take you on a little trip tomorrow," Nancy said. "If you go to sleep _right now_. Maybe the history museum."

Adam's eyes lit up. " _Yes!_ Yes, Mama! Ooooooh..."

He assured them that he would go to sleep, even though Ned could tell he would be keyed up for at least another half-hour, and Ned chuckled as he closed Adam's door behind them and took Nancy's hand. "Good way to make sure he won't sleep tonight," he teased her softly.

She shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to see that look on his face," she admitted. "He just gets so excited. I'm happy just watching him."

"I know what you mean." Nancy released a quiet startled cry when Ned wrapped his arms around her from behind and gently embraced her. His warm hands spread over her still-flat abdomen, where their child was, with any luck, growing healthy and strong in her womb, and she relaxed into him.

"I love you, sweetheart," he whispered against her neck as she hung her head, her hands resting over his. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she whispered, and he felt the small hitch in her breathing before she guided his palm up to cup her breast through her clothes.

He knew she was tired, so when she stripped her shirt off and turned to face him, raising her chin in a silent plea for a kiss, only then did he let himself imagine taking things further. Her lips were warm and tasted faintly of berries, and her skin was so warm and smooth under his palms as he stroked her back.

And he made love to her slowly, sweetly, as she lay sprawled naked on their bed and he kissed and caressed his way down. He nuzzled against her hip, lavished kisses over her belly, and smiled when she bent her knees and opened her legs in silent welcome.

His wife. He could still remember the anxiety that he had seen in her eyes when they had first begun to learn each other this way, the times she had panicked and his heart had broken for her and her pain. He never let himself forget it, not even after four years of marriage. He still took things slow, looking for any sign in her that she was uncomfortable. Just half a year ago—she had broken down sobbing, apologizing, unable to tell him _why_ she had suddenly panicked, and he had stroked her hair and held her until she was calm again. She was always fragile, just after, and so upset that what had happened to her had come between them again, but all that mattered to him was her happiness and her safety. He always kissed her tears away and held her until her panicked heart slowed.

Tonight, though—she had been working so hard, and he was proud of her and all she had accomplished. He adored her, he _loved_ her, with his lips and fingertips, with the nuzzle of his cheek against her skin. He whispered it against her breastbone, against her hip. When he traced his tongue against the curve of her inner thigh, she released a quiet, breathy moan that almost made his toes curl.

By the time he moved over her, the taste of her arousal on his tongue and her thighs spread wide in welcome, she was glowing faintly, panting as she tried to catch her breath. Her lashes were low over her blue eyes and she was the most beautiful woman in the entire world, in the stillness and warmth of their bedroom, reaching up to him so she could stroke her palm over his shoulder blades and run her fingers through his hair, so she could draw him closer.

She shivered when he entered her; she was still so, so slick from the teasing of his tongue and lips, and his breath came out in a sigh as he slowly worked his full length inside her, in gentle strokes. "Oh _God_ ," she breathed. "Ohhhh..."

He moaned softly as he lowered himself fully to her, being careful to partially support his weight so he didn't press down on her abdomen, and relished the feel of her smooth legs twined around him, the comb of her fingers through his hair, the slick hot yield of her tender inner flesh. Then he reached down and rubbed his thumb against her clit; he had suckled and teased it earlier, but at the sensation his wife seemed to constrict, pulsing once against his erection, drawing in a startled half-gasped breath.

"Ned... _mmmm_..."

He smiled as he kept working his thumb against her, and he felt her tense just before she began to rock and angle her hips, greedy for the sensation, his cock still deep inside her. Her thrusts were shallow and erratic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and her nipples brushed his chest as she arched her back. "Mmm, _more_ ," she begged him, pressing her heels down to thrust her hips more urgently. "More oh my God please..."

"Like this?" He shifted his weight, then reached for her hand and licked her fingertips. When he guided her hand between them, a rosy glow bloomed in her cheeks, but she followed his lead and began to stroke her clit, and a shudder went down both their spines in answer.

He slid out of her, almost fully, then back inside her in one agonizingly long, slow thrust, all the way to the hilt. She was rapidly stroking her clit, and he licked one of her nipples before he pulled out of her for a more rapid thrust. She groaned in answer, her blue eyes hazed with desire.

Bringing her to the cusp of climax and then watching her shatter with it, in a paroxysm of joy and sheer _need_... he never, never tired of it. She clung to him, muffling her hoarse cries against his shoulder, her legs spread wide and their skin slick with sweat as he moved in her with one last thrust. She strained under him, almost sobbing, and when they came their lips were touching and they were both trembling.

Making love to her—every time they were together this way, fast or slow, rough or sweet, it always felt like love. With a quiet groan he relaxed onto her and felt her legs fall open as she relaxed too, sliding her hand from between them as she ran the fingers of the other through his hair again.

"I love you," she sighed. "Oh God, I love you so much."

"I love you too." He nuzzled against her cheek, marveling as he always did at the softness of her skin and the wonder of being so close to another person. He trailed lazy kisses against her jaw and neck before slowly parting from her.

They returned to their bed after they had cleaned up, brushed their teeth and put on pajamas, and his wife lay with her head cradled by his shoulder, her palm resting over his heart. He kissed her forehead and then closed his eyes, his arm wrapped around her waist.

"You think we can do it again?"

"Hmm?"

"Change diapers, wake up every two hours for feedings? Try to get him or her to go to sleep for three solid hours?"

"Yeah." Ned smiled as he rubbed her back again. "I think we can manage it."

"Good." She sighed and cuddled against him. "Love you."

"Love you too, beautiful."

\--

On the day of her graduation, Nancy dressed in a sleeveless polka-dotted cotton dress light enough to keep her cool under her robe. She pulled her hair back and secured it with a clip, and put on a pair of teardrop diamond earrings her husband had given her.

One of her favorite photos had been taken on Ned's graduation day. Adam, a bright-eyed baby less than six months old, had been seated on her lap, and she had been holding his hand up like he was waving. His face was bright with a toothless grin.

Today Adam wore a green polo shirt and nice pants, and Nancy had to laugh when she saw that his hair was sticking up a little. Ned was taking his turn getting ready, while Nancy watched Adam finish his breakfast. She smoothed Adam's hair and he made a face until she smiled at him.

Another one. Another baby. Maybe they would have another boy, sweet and mild-mannered like Adam. Maybe they would have a little girl with Ned's beautiful eyes and her grin. Nancy didn't mind if Adam had a little brother or a little sister; she was just happy. It wouldn't have been the same without them. Nothing would have been the same, without Ned and Adam.

"You don't remember seeing your daddy graduate, do you."

Adam nodded stubbornly. "I _do_ ," he protested. "Daddy wore robe like that."

"Uh-huh," Nancy replied, clearly skeptical. "You must have an _excellent_ memory, then."

Adam beamed at what he thought was a compliment.

Nancy couldn't hide her chuckle. "All right, baby. After graduation, I bet we can talk Daddy into going for ice cream... if you're very good and quiet for Nana and Papa during the very boring ceremony."

Adam's broad grin faded a little. "Boring? But it's a party for you?"

Nancy shook her head. "Later tonight, if we go out, yes. But yeah, graduation will be boring. I have to sit with everybody else graduating and you'll be sitting with Daddy and your grandparents and people will be talking. And maybe when you were a baby, you just liked seeing your Nana and Papa and Grandpa." She winked at him.

Ned came in looping his tie, one of his favorite Emerson-striped ones. He wrapped his arm around Nancy's waist and dropped a kiss on her head. "Almost done, bear?"

Adam looked up at Ned with his big blue eyes, spoon aloft. "Can I take Blue?"

Ned chuckled as he finished tying his tie. "Why, sweetheart? Blue will be waiting for you when we get home."

Adam considered, and Nancy smoothed his hair again. "It won't be so long. See if your Daddy can show you how to play dots."

\--

Adam heard the words "good behavior" a lot that day. Daddy taught him to play dots. It took him a while and he had to whisper the directions and show him a few times what to do, but he figured it out and grinned at his daddy and his daddy grinned back at him, and Adam just _loved_ him. He was excited that he was going to be able to spend the whole day with both of his parents. He missed them when they weren't at home, and he loved both of them so much that he didn't even have a word for it, not really.

He loved his Nana and Papa and Grandpa too, and his aunts were there. Mama had said he would be bored, but Adam wasn't bored, not with everyone there and Daddy playing with him. He wanted to go see Mama, but she was sitting down in the other place away from him. She waved up at them once though, and she looked so strange in her long robe and the pointy hat, but everyone else did too. His Daddy had put on a robe like that when he had graduated too. Adam had seen the pictures a lot. He had seen the pictures of his mama and daddy on the day they were married, too, and the picture that was in the big TV room where he played with his toys. He had seen a picture of Mama with a big belly and Daddy with his arms around her and his hands over her belly, making a little heart with his fingers and thumbs and her belly button in the middle, and Adam had been actually growing inside her then. He couldn't imagine it.

His daddy and mama had loved him before he was even born. They had loved him so long.

"Here, let's write Mama a note," Adam's dad whispered.

He wrote _We are so proud of you. Love, Adam and Dad_

Adam very carefully copied what his dad had written, and then he drew a heart. Dad kissed his head and gave him a little hug, and Adam smiled.

As soon as it was over, Adam took the little piece of paper in his hand and ran up to Mama and hugged her legs. She laughed and moved down and hugged him, still wearing her funny hat. "I'm proud of you for still being awake," she told him.

"Pr—here, Mama," Adam said, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek and handed her the note.

She opened it and then looked into his eyes and her eyes were shiny. "Oh, sweetie. Thank you. That is so sweet. I love you."

"Love you," he told her.

Even though they had ice cream for dessert at lunch, they went to _another_ room with a lot of people and more talking, and Adam fell asleep in his Nana's lap. He tried not to. He wanted Mama to be proud of him for staying up at this one too, but he was warm and sleepy and Nana stroked his hair, and if he had brought Blue—but no one else looked excited either. Everyone looked sleepy too. Even Daddy.

"Reservations at Spiaggi?"

When Adam woke up, rubbing his eyes, he heard that and brought his head up. "Gee-gee?"

"Yeah, honey. Gee-gee," Daddy said. "We're gonna take Mama there as a surprise. To show her that we're proud of her and she's great."

"Mama is great."

Daddy nodded. "You've been really good today, Adam. I know today has been really long and boring."

There were _a lot_ of people at the restaurant, and a lot of them were dressed up like his mama and daddy dressed up for _a date_. Adam had learned that _a date_ meant Mama and Daddy would be gone for a while, so he didn't like it, but this time he was with them. It was dark and the room had white cloths on the tables and a person came to their table to talk to them and ask what they wanted to eat. Mama hugged Daddy a bunch of times before they sat down, and kissed him on the cheek, and Adam loved when they were like this. He didn't see any games to play, though, although a nice lady gave him a coloring sheet and crayons.

And all the grown-ups sat down and they didn't get coloring sheets, and there was no TV, and Adam didn't know what they were going to do. If they had let him bring Blue, his favorite superhero toy, with him, he would have let them play with it.

Adam did the maze puzzle and then reached over and tugged on Daddy's sleeve. "Daddy! Look!"

Daddy looked over when Adam tugged again; he was saying something to Papa. "Ooh. That's really good, Adam. You're very good at those. Just like your Mama."

Mama kissed him on the cheek when he showed her the maze. "Very nice, Adam. You've been such a good boy today. I'm glad you were able to come and see me graduate."

Adam nodded. He didn't really understand what it meant; he knew that Mama went to class and she looked at pieces of paper and fell asleep on the couch while she was studying, and sometimes Adam had fallen asleep beside her because he had wanted to play with her and see her after being apart all day. Today meant she was done with that. Maybe it would be like the past few days had been. Mama and Nana and sometimes Papa, sometimes Daddy, had taken him to the museum and the park and the playground and the library. It had been _great_.

Maybe they could be together _all day_ now and it would be amazing.

Grandpa gestured to the man who had been talking to them about food. "A bottle of champagne is in order," he said to the man. "My baby girl graduated college today."

Mama and Daddy looked at each other. The man said a lot of words to Grandpa that Adam didn't understand, and then he smiled again and said he would be right back.

"Um... I've had a long day, but you guys should enjoy yourselves," Mama said. "Really. I'm afraid that if I even had a sip I'd fall asleep at the table."

Nana looked at Adam's Mama and didn't say anything for a little bit, but she was smiling a little. "Well, we would hate that," she said. "Wouldn't we, Adam."

Adam nodded at his Nana. "Mama was sleepy and I gave her Leo," he said.

"He did. It was adorable," Mama said, and ruffled his hair. Then she kissed his forehead. "And I really am sleepy, little bear, but we will spend all day together tomorrow, the three of us. You'll like that, won't you."

Adam nodded, glancing from Mama to Daddy. He grinned. "Yay!"

"I bet you're happy Mama will be home for a while," Nana said. "And we'll still be able to play and go to the pool..."

On Daddy's other side, Papa reached over and touched Daddy's hand. Then Papa smiled. "And we can take you to your great-grandpa's house this summer. We can play in the creek and look for frogs and little fish. Maybe we can take your daddy with us, huh?"

Adam nodded eagerly. "Yes! Daddy, please!"

Daddy chuckled. "Of course we can. It'll be nice."

The man came back with a bottle, and Adam was startled enough to gasp when he put something in the top and pulled out a loud thing, one that sounded like a loud toy gun. Then he poured bubbly apple juice into little glasses, but Mama said he couldn't have any. "It's okay, I won't have any either," she whispered to him. "So we'll pout together, okay?"

All the other grown-ups picked up their glasses, and Grandpa said, "To Nancy. I've always been proud of you, sweetheart, and all you've accomplished. Here's to an amazing year... and all the good things it will certainly bring."

Nana and Papa picked up their glasses too. "To Nancy and Ned," Nana said. "And Adam, the sweetest little boy since his daddy. To all that you two have done, and all that you've dreamed and built together. Nancy, you are an incredible young woman, and I'm beyond happy to call you my daughter."

Papa cleared his throat. "To family."

"To family," they all chimed in, with Daddy too. Daddy didn't have much of the juice in his glass, and after he drank it, he cleared his throat too.

"To my beautiful wife, who worked so hard to get here today, and Adam, who has been on his best behavior. I just feel so incredibly blessed to be in their lives. You two are my world."

Mama smiled. "I love every single one of you," she said. "You believed in me even when I thought we'd never see this day, and that means so much to me. Thank you. And I reserve my right to toast, by the way, and I totally plan to."

Everyone laughed, and Adam looked around at them. "Mama is _awesome_ ," he said.

Daddy nodded. "She sure is, honey."

Mama kissed his head. "I love you, Adam. Thank you."

He fell asleep in the car on the way home, after chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes and juice. It had been a really long day and he didn't want to sleep again, but the next day he would be with Mama and Daddy, and that was exciting, so exciting that he couldn't wait until morning. Adam woke up when Daddy was carrying him inside, and buried his face against his neck with a sigh. Daddy patted his back.

"Sleepy, little bear?"

"Mmm," Adam said, and rubbed his face against Daddy's shoulder when Mama patted his head. Then they were in his room, and Mama was helping put his pajamas on. He groaned when Daddy said he had to brush his teeth before bed, but soon he was back in his room and happy to be tucked into his bed.

"Sleep well, baby." Daddy patted the blanket.

"I love you," Mama said.

"Love you," Adam said, hugging Leo and closing his eyes.

The _pool_. And a creek, whatever that meant. And Mama and Daddy all day tomorrow.

He heard them laughing quietly together as they went to their room, and he smiled as he fell asleep again.


End file.
